The 33-year-old star talked about Cumberbatch in an interview with Daily Star newspaper, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"We are old, old friends. I think he is the most staggering actor and wonderful human being," Redmayne said.

Redmayne and Cumberbatch are in the race to grab an Oscar in the Best Actor category. The 87th Academy Awards ceremony will be held here Sunday.

Cumberbatch is nominated for his portrayal of Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game", while Redmayne received his nomination for his part as Stephen Hawking in the biographical film "The Theory of Everything".

But Redmayne is not worried and says both the movies are very different.

"Our films are completely different and hopefully there is room for both of us," he added.